Never Yours (Peeta Mellark X Reader)

Chapter 15--Dangers of Giving Up

PEETA POV

Night was falling sooner than I thought and soon I had to find another tree for rest. All day today I've just been walking around the arena again, and to my surprise, no tributes were around to try and attack me. That was pretty weird, especially since I've been alone for pretty much the entire time so far, and I don't mind a bit of company by now. Even if it means killing them just for me to get through the Games. 

Out of the corner of my eye, though, I did see another tribute leap from tree to tree, lightly landing on the branches like a bird. Her arms were slightly held out, as if she was to take flight at some point. 

Rue.

I had to admit, she had her ways of getting around. How could she survive the bloodbath? What if she wasn't in it? It was possible. Looking at her now, I was reminded of a small bird in flight...

I honestly hope she wouldn't be shot down. 

Soon, I found another suitable tree to rest for the night. Luckily along the way I managed to pick some safe and edible berries and leaves, and so I decided to snack on those for dinner as well as another cracker. All of the gorging and gaining I had in the Capitol pretty much disappeared, even though it was just the start of the Games, but I guess that was expected. I'm pretty sure there would tributes worse off than I. 

As soon as I thought this, the boy from District 3 holding the stone in his hand flashed through my mind, and I shivered. 

Suddenly, the anthem began to play, and they showed the girl from District 8 that I saw Glimmer kill. Then the seal showed, and then the presentation was over. 

One more tribute down. 12 more to play for the final win. I bit my lip, trying not to cry. What if (Y/N) does die during the Games? No, I refuse to think that. She's somehow got on Cato's good side. She's somehow got on the Careers' good side. 

How was Haymitch going to react to this?

Slowly, I eased myself into a tree for the night, securing myself in the sleeping bag, but this time using a piece of strong vine I found in the middle of the forest to wrap myself around the branch. I haven't seen anyone all day today. I'm only hoping that I could stay lucky and just lie low for the rest of the Games, hoping that everyone would just kill themselves over several battles and brawls. But even so, I'd be far from (Y/N). Damn, she wouldn't get out of my mind all day. I wonder how she's doing otherwise?

It only felt like hours since I closed my eyes before I started to get a whiff of smoke. Is someone's campfire going haywire? No. It can't be. Not unless the tree is going on fire. I looked down, but there was no fire there. I looked to my left, and animals were fleeing. I looked to my right...

One word formed in my head. Run.

Without a second's hesitation, I cut the vine around my waist, stuffed my sleeping bag in the backpack, and jumped from the tree. A sudden sharp cry came from my lips as I felt my right ankle crush under the weight of my body, but somehow I just picked myself up and kept going, away from the wall of flames that soon caught on in the entire forest. The animals were my only way of getting out of there alive. I pulled my shirt over my nose, grateful that the shirt was a bit wet with my sweat, and even pulled my hood over my head. Who knows if the heat would ever get to my head?

Soon, the smoke started to hang over my head. The shirt did little to stop the fumes from going into my nostrils, and I eventually ended up blocking my nose with my sleeve, leaving just enough room for me to breathe through my mouth, trying not to think of defeat. No. That's not possible. I can't lose. Not when Panem is rooting for me going home to my "girlfriend".